While it is typical for the unemployment rate to jump in July compared with June because of seasonal layoffs and auto industry retooling, the rates saw a significant jump over July of last year, according to the state.

The four-county Grand Rapids-Wyoming metropolitan area -- Kent, Ionia, Newaygo and Barry -- saw a seasonally unadjusted jobless rate of 8 percent in July, up 14.9 percent from a year ago.

The Holland-Grand Haven region, which includes all of Ottawa County, reported a 7.7 percent jobless rate for last month, up 22 percent from a year ago.

"Generally, throughout the state, we're hitting at unemployment rates essentially not seen since the early 1990s," said Jim Rhein, a labor market analyst for the state Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

The last time the Grand Rapids area broke 8 percent in July was in 2003, when it came in at 8.4 percent. Before that, it was in 1991 and 1992 at 8.5 and 8.9, respectively.

In the Holland-Grand Haven region, the last time the July jobless rate neared the current 7.7 percent rate was in 2003, when it was 7.2.

Rhein said it does not bode well for year-end numbers.

"Unless there is a change for the good," he said, looking at the first seven months of the year, "we're liable to see '08 worse than those other years as far as unemployment."

Increases across the state

The Grand Rapids-Wyoming and Holland-Grand Haven regions are among 16 out of 17 regions showing an increase in the jobless rate over June. The rates rose in all 17 markets compared with July 2007.

The state's July seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 8.5 percent was the highest in the nation.

But, relatively speaking, the state is not alone in its dismal job outlook, Rhein said.

"The rest of the country is in the same boat," he said. "There are a lot of states and a lot of other metro areas showing the same kind of over-the-year change.